Big Ben : the great clock and the bells at the Palace of Westminster / Chris McKay.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McKay, Chris.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Big Ben (Tower clock).

Westminster Palace (London, England)--History.

Westminster Palace (London, England).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book covers the history of 'Big Ben', the great clock and bells at Westminster, from the origins of Westminster as the seat of government right up to the celebrations of the Great Clock's 150th anniversary in 2009.The book begins by taking the reader through a typical visit to the Clock Tower, and then begins the history of the palace of Westminster, covering the fire of 1834, the building of the New Houses of Parliament and development of the clock and the bells, going into detail on their design and installation. The book covers the famous cracking of the current bell Big Ben in 1859, w

Contents:

Contents; Introduction; Glossary; List of Plates; 1 'Big Ben'-a brief history; 2 A Visit to the Clock Tower; 3 The Palace of Westminster to 1834; 4 The Great Fire of 1834; 5 A New Palace: 1835 Onwards; 6 Plans, Specifications, and Tenders for the Great Clock: 1844 to 1852; 7 The Great Clock is Built: 1852 to 1854; 8 The Bells: 1856 to 1858; 9 The Dials; 10 The Development of the Gravity Escapement; 11 The Great Clock is Installed and Set Going; 12 Big Ben Cracks: 1859 to 1863; 13 The Clock Ticks on: 1863 to 1900; 14 Through Two World Wars: 1900 to 2000; 15 The Disaster of 1976

16 The Restoration of 200717 The Great Clock-A Complete Description; 18 Iconic Big Ben; 19 The 150th Anniversary Celebrations; 20 Conclusion; Appendix A: Weights and Measures; Appendix B: Clock Tower Data; Key Source Material; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-19-161508-0

1-282-75967-1

9786612759673

0-19-158288-3

OCLC:

664572064